Monday, 31 October 2011

This is the third time I have been to MCM Expo and I am still as excited as I was the first time! However, instead of standing in the queue for 3 hours, I remembered to buy the tickets online first and it was such a relief getting there, knowing that I didn't have to wait for 3 hours before stepping foot inside the venue!

However, I was not, dare I say, as impressed with the cosplaying this time round...I just didn't really see any truly creative ones...and when I say 'truly creative', I guess I mean the ones where you can see a lot of time, energy and money has gone into! I did find this guy though which had amazing laser eyes!

Nevertheless, it is quite hypocritical of me to criticise when I made no to cosplay at all...but, this time, my sister did! effort She cosplayed as Maka from Soul Eater which included wearing a blonde wig which we thought was hilarious and she spent a few weeks making a brilliant scythe out of foam, lots of duct tape and lots of paint! She eventually got tired of holding it at the event and very kindly gave it to the first person who took interest in it. The boy in question looked very happy indeed!!

Something I kept wanting to see but kept missing on the other times I attended MCM Expo, were the photoshoots! We stumbled across this Final Fantasy one by accident but I adore Final Fantasy so it was a very happy accident! I was extremely amused by the whole thing and impressed at the amount of people who were in character for most of the photoshoot.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 was also available to play but as always, totally hogged! Next time I will play a game!!! Another thing that I was previously too shy to do, was to get a drawing of myself done by one of the artists in the 'Comic Village'. It was in a different location this time and I spent a very long time browsing each piece of art. There also seemed to be triple the amount of visitors compared to the other times...it was very very packed!!

My sister actually went to get a drawing of her done first so I thought I'd wait and see how hers turned out...and it was so cute, and so her! So, I quickly got mine done too! I was illustrated by Celine Choo and I was very amused by how she had interpreted me...and that anyone who knows me would recognise it was me! (This may be the closest thing to seeing what I look like!)

There were so many talented artists there and I loved how pretty much all of them were still drawing at their tables...I could have spent all day just watching them do this! Next time, I am aiming to get more illustrations of myself done though!

I do love a good Silent Hill cosplay, so I couldn't resist showing yet another one!

I had an absolutely amazing time but could not stay for the 6pm Cosplay competition which I am sure would have been brilliant...but there is always next time! I suggest anyone and everyone to check MCM Expo out...you will be surprised at how much you will enjoy it. The next one is in May 2012!

Saturday, 29 October 2011

I purchased this face mask on a work colleague's recommendation and absolutely love it! 'My Beauty Diary' is a Taiwanese beauty brand where they specialise in face masks and after reading several reviews, is a favourite amongst many other beauty fanatics!

I couldn't decide what to get so my work colleague chose the 'Aloe Mask' which 'moisturises, repairs, revitalizes, and nourishes skin'. Sounded great!

I thought it would be a cream that I would apply and peel/wash off...but it is literally a mask (with eyes and mouth holes!), covered in the solution. I tried it with my sister, which wasn't the best thing to do because we couldn't look at each other without laughing...as we both looked like the woman from 'The Skin I Live In'!

Luckily, I had more self control so my mask stayed on for longer, while my sister's mask was half-hanging off her face because she couldn't stop laughing...but this made it even funnier! It came off very easily and you are not supposed to wash your face, but to simply let the solution sink into your skin. My skin felt very fresh and noticeably smoother.

'My Beauty Diary' offers a total of 17 different versions of the face mask, with different ingredients.

However, some of the descriptions do make me become slightly cynical...such as the 'Black Pearl Mask' which 'accellerates metabolism of stratum comeum; gently removes dead epidermis cells' ...I mean, am I really supposed to know what all of that means?!! I could take a guess but nevertheless, I am still up for trying!

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

I was browsing IMDB via the app on my iPhone, and came across Ringer, a new TV Series with Sarah Michelle Geller. I realised that I hadn't really seen her in anything major since Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, which I loved! I read the synopsis and it sounded pretty good!

Sarah Michelle Geller plays twin sisters, Siobhan and Bridget. Bridget witnesses a murder but is too afraid to testify, so she escapes to see her twin, Siobhan, who she hasn't spoken to in 6 years. As they begin to repair their relationship, Siobhan disappears and Bridget decides to take the opportunity to 'start a new life' and becomes 'Siobhan'. But there is so much more to it!

I know it sounds extremely far fetched, but something about it really works!!

Sarah Michelle Geller is fantastic at playing both characters, there is a noticeable difference in the personalities which I would think is difficult to act out! Watching Ringer made me remember what a brilliant actress she really is!!

Also, as I work in Fashion Design, I couldn't help but notice her brilliant wardrobe and was impressed when I recognised that the dress she is wearing in the poster is vintage and is by Jacques Cassia. I can't find the exact dress, but I'm 100% sure it is still from the same designer, the metal pieces and chain is absolutely his handwriting!

I really recommend this show if you like having to work things out...every minute of it keeps you wondering what is going to happen and a lot of it is quite unpredictable!!

Monday, 24 October 2011

I love the L'Occitane brand so when I spotted this on ASOS.COM while purchasing other things, I spontaneously got it too! If you have been following my Hair & Beautyblog entries, you will realise that I am obsessed with skincare...so I am always on the hunt for new, exciting products to test out!

This cleansing foam is very easy to use and like most L'Occitane products, smells amazing!

My skin felt very clean after use but I don't think it is special enough for me to purchase again. In this case, it was simply a novelty product...but I'm still glad I tried it!

Sunday, 23 October 2011

This review is going to be very brief because I was quite disappointed! When I found out there was going to be a remake of this film (which I loved as a child), I couldn't wait! The cast was great with Ray Stevenson (Rome), Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans), Matthew MacFadyen (The Pillars of the Earth) and Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings)....so it was a real shame that the storyline had let them down as they are all brilliant actors! It had the same feel as Sherlock Holmes - especially in regards to some of the fighting scenes which made it very appealing for me...but I felt there could have been much more content and depth to it!!

My favourite characters were played by Milla Jovovich whose character had a sense of Alice (Resident Evil) in her which was brilliant and unexpected! Ray Stevenson was also great, he does humour in such an effortless way...without turning things into a joke.

I can't remember what rating this was (PG?), but it was much too flat for me, or maybe I'm just too old for it now.

Friday, 21 October 2011

I've always used normal shower gels whether it is by Dove, Nivea or Imperial Leather...but I came across this by accident while browsing ASOS.COM - Dr.Bronner Organic Castile Soap. I mostly wanted to try it because of it's Castile ingredient which I have always only read good things about.
Out of lavender, peppermint, rose and citrus, I instantly went for almond as one of my favourite breakfast choices, is an almond croissant! Although I usually don't end up liking products that remind me too much of my favourite foods, such as chocolate...I could never ever use any type of skincare product that smells of chocolate! It just doesn't feel right!
However, I completely forgot about this when I had checked-out so I hoped that it wouldn't remind me too much of my favourite croissant while I was using it!

The consistency is very runny so it needs to be applied onto the body immediately and lathered up...but the smell was amazing!! Probably a touch too 'almondy' for my liking, but nevertheless, lovely to use! I'm not sure if I would get this again as I still find myself going for my other shower gel options more often than this...probably because I am still preferring the scent of White Calla Lilly or Japanese Spa but I'd quite like to try the citrus scent..

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

I think I've mentioned that I've been buying vintage Wedding dresses to restore and offer in my Etsy Shop but while I've been doing this, I ran into the huge problem of ironing them. Using my domestic iron proved useless and much too time consuming so I felt it was time I invested in a garment steamer!! I did plenty of research and found it quite overwhelming but I kept coming across Fridja which amongst all the chunky, grey steamers, stayed at the front of my mind. It looked like the Apple of garment steamers, and as I have always been in a Creative field, I naturally preferred the one that had aesthetic appeal. I had of course also read great reviews and it seemed to be easy-to-use...so it wasn't all about the 'front cover'! The cost price (on Amazon.co.uk) was £107.99 which I thought was a good price for something my family could also use, and often.

It was super easy to assemble and I managed to get it up and running within 5 minutes of taking it out the box! Then the real test came, steaming a wedding dress! I chose the one with the most creases and set to work with steaming it. It only took under a minute for the steam to form and I was pretty blown away at how quickly the creases disappeared! Just look at my 'before' and 'after' photos which happened in about 10 seconds of steaming! I am over-the-moon with my purchase, I just wish that I didn't wait so long to get one! My mother has even been using this over our domestic iron as she doesn't even need to get the ironing board out! Highly recommended!!

If you visit myHair & Beauty category, you can see that I do like a good Beauty product! However, it's definitely more about skincare, rather than cosmetics.
A work colleague had mentioned a beauty site in the Far East which was supposed to be amazing (good products/good prices), but she had read that there seemed to be issues with international orders so was hesitant from purchasing from them. So, I asked my sister if she knew of any others and she recommended Yesstyle.com which I'd never heard of. Anyway, my work colleague loved it and it had all the products she wanted so she went ahead on a mini shopping spree...and I decided to get a few too, from her recommendation.

We got the order in under 2 weeks and I have been using the cream for about a week now. Although it is quite sticky, a few minutes after applying, my skin definitely feels smoother...like my pores have been tightened. However, as my skin is quite dry, I think I prefer a night cream that leaves my skin soft, supple and clearly moisturised...but the Aquamoist cream leaves more of a matte finish which I don't feel is enough. For me, this is better as a day cream, rather than night. I will of course continue using it as the results may be different after a certain time, so I will update this post if this happens! Overall, it's a so-so for me, but could be great for another skin-type.

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Since I got my first ever iPhone back in May (can't believe how long it took for me to get it but also hate the fact that I really rely on it now!)...I was stuck with a boring white case (love white, but too boring as a phone case) which my sister had kindly lent to me as I couldn't find one I liked.
I must have been whineing about it for a very long time as a friend has
constantly been emailing me links to cases that I might like (no luck
though) but recently, another friend got me a Batman one! I was over the
moon! It finally feels like 'my phone' now...although I would really
love a Darth Vader one!

Friday, 14 October 2011

I really wasn't expecting much from this film when my sister and I spontaneously went to watch at the cinema a few weeks ago...but I love Vampire films so I purely wanted to watch it for that reason - in fact, I am on a bit of a mission to watch all Vampire films ever made, but I can come back to that another time. So, I guess because I had no expectations, I actually ended up extremely enjoying the film! Fright Night is a remake of a film in the 80s, which I'm unsure if I have seen yet, but I am super keen to do so now! Colin Farrell is a vampire called Jerry (this name for a vampire was so awful it tickled me throughout the entire film!)...and I really thought Colin Farrell was a terrible decision to cast as a vampire...I really couldn't see it...but I was completely blown away! He was a brilliant vampire!! I think this is definitely the sort of character he should continue to play in his future films - i.e. slightly psychopathic/dark/evil/cunning/mischievous....he does it so well...so convincing!

Back to the storyline, Jerry does the typical vampire thing and kills people in a small town whilst pretending to be the friendly next-door neighbour. A teenager discovers what he is and confides in his friend Charley - played by Anton Yelchin - who also played Chekov in Star Trek, so it was amusing not hearing him with a Russian accent as it is the only film I had known him to be in!

Fast forwarding a bit into the film...Charley is trying to find a way to kill Jerry and seeks out a Las Vegas magician called Peter Vincent - played by David Tennant - this was probably the most amusing character as I am pretty sure he had based his character on Russell Brand!!

The plot is actually really straight forward which is why I am slightly struggling with having to explain it but it has been executed in such a brilliant way. There is a perfect mix of horror and comedy...but not too much of the latter so the film becomes a joke. I also loved how the vampires looked when they turned more...vampiric. This is how I feel the Twilight vampires should look like!!!!...They are much too polished at the moment!!

Anyway, I definitely recommend this film for everyone, I think you will be surprised at how good it is! The only thing that ruined it for me was it being in 3D and there was no cinema that had it as 2D!!! The glasses were too big (as always) and it was annoying being able to see the frames at the corner of my eyes. 3D was completely unnecessary for this film....please stop with the 3D overkill...

Friday, 7 October 2011

I have an abundance of 'Bath & Beauty' Etsy shops as my favourites but have held back from purchasing what I want due to unfortunate shipping costs - as many are based in America. However, when Heartsy (a Groupon/Living Social for handmade products) came on the scene, I decided to utilise the high discount and spent my vouchers on Bath & Beauty! One of the first was from the Anderson Soap Company, who had been a favourite of mine very soon after I had joined Etsy over 3 years ago. I went a bit wild with my purchases, but I just wanted to try every ingredient!!

I wanted to wait until I had used them all before I blogged about it but it would actually take me ages so thought I would make some sort of start!

I've used all of the liquid soaps so far which work in the same way as my usual shower gel but I couldn't believe how spot-on 'Refreshing Rain' was! Whatever you think 'Refreshing Rain' may smell of, this is it! I haven't used any of the bars yet so I will do a follow up of them but the 'Soap in a Jar' had a great scent!

Overall, very impressed, especially with the packaging, super professional with a great aesthetic. I just wish I had spread out a little bit more and got some of the lip balms, perfume oils, and body butters!! Maybe next time!

Thursday, 6 October 2011

I had purchased several plain tote bags about 2 years ago but never got round to using them until recently, when I decided to print my 'mascot' on them! I'm not sure if I'm going to offer them in my Etsy shop yet but they're great for when/if I ever sell at fairs etc!

Monday, 3 October 2011

I watched The Rise of the Planet of the Apes a few weeks ago and although I hated the title (much too wordy!) it was brilliant! I had loved the previous one in 2001, which was directed by Tim Burton and had a stronger 'Sci-Fi' element to it compared to the 2011 one, but I still liked it and it was much more 'real'! James Franco was great but I think I still need to watch Freida Pinto in more films for me to decide what I think but it didn't help that her name was 'Caroline' as she does not look like a Caroline at all! I later found out that Andy Serkis also played Caesar (the main ape)...is there anything he can't do?! Caesar was a brilliant character and although I am tempted to mention a bit of a spoiler, I won't....but you will either think 'oh my god!' or you will get the giggles when this happens...! Overall, definitely the star of the film and extremely cute as a baby chimp!

My favourite part of the film is when Caesar is put into a Primate Sanctuary and for the first time, is exposed to other apes. Although he starts off getting bullied, it gets very exciting later on! The film ends with an opening for a possible sequel which I will definitely watch if it happens!

Sunday, 2 October 2011

Even though the Armani collections are aimed at an older woman, specifically in regards to the tailoring...I'm always in such awe when it comes to the evening dresses. The final looks in the Giorgio Armani SS12 collection were three fully embellished dresses but it was the way they were shown that made it breathtaking! Three, gracefully entwined models came out and it just looked amazing! I do wonder how many times they had to rehearse it though!

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Welcome to my blog! I am a full-time Designer in London for a fashion brand... but also have a whole load of other interests including making anything and everything - click on the huge SHOP sign above to check it all out.Also, feel free to use the tags below to navigate my blog posts!